Israel has determined that its military did not engage in criminal wrongdoing when it resulted in the deaths of a Canadian and six other humanitarian workers in Gaza two years ago.
The military prosecutor for Israel announced that it would not pursue a criminal investigation regarding the airstrikes in April 2024, which targeted a convoy of World Central Kitchen vehicles. Among those killed were Jacob Flickinger, a military veteran from Quebec, as well as a Palestinian and aid workers from the UK, Australia, and the US.
In a statement released on Thursday, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand labeled this decision as “unacceptable.”
“Significant shortcomings were noted in the execution of the strike, and closing the case without further accountability leaves their families without the answers they have been seeking for over two years,” she stated, emphasizing the need for the protection of humanitarian personnel in conflict zones.
“Canada insists on the enforcement of international humanitarian law and will persist in demanding a comprehensive accounting of the events, along with justice for the seven workers who lost their lives and their families.”
World Central Kitchen, an organization providing food assistance in Gaza, stated at that time that it had coordinated with the military regarding the convoy’s route. The vehicles, clearly marked with the organization’s logo visible from the sky, were found destroyed and charred.
Chef José Andrés appeared in an interview with Reuters, imploring the violence in Gaza to come to an end after seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen were killed by an Israeli airstrike. ‘This looks like it’s not a war against terrorism anymore’, said Andrés. ‘It seems it’s a war against humanity itself.’
In a military statement released on Wednesday, it was noted that the individuals in the vehicles had been incorrectly identified as armed Hamas militants. However, it concluded that the decisions made by the commanders “did not raise reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct.” At that time, two officers were relieved of their duties, and three others received reprimands.
World Central Kitchen responded by stating that the military’s version of events was inaccurate, “confuses various timelines and incidents, obscures the truth, and shifts responsibility.” The organization called for an independent inquiry.
Timing ‘especially insulting’: Australian minister
The announcement incited anger in Australia, leading the foreign minister to summon the Israeli ambassador.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed that the removal and reprimand of the officers were insufficient measures of accountability for the death of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom.
“This is despite the admissions by the Israel Defense Forces that the IDF strikes on Zomi and her colleagues’ vehicles resulted from severe failures to adhere to IDF protocols, misidentification, and flawed decision-making,” Wong stated in a message shared on the Australian government website.
She remarked that the decision was “especially insulting” since it was announced on World Humanitarian Day.
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“I will be summoning Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, and have instructed Australia’s ambassador to Israel to communicate our perspectives directly to Israel as the Australian government evaluates its next actions,” Wong noted.
On the same day, the Israeli military also revealed that it would not pursue criminal charges regarding the deaths of four staff members from Doctors Without Borders in two separate incidents occurring in November 2023 and February 2024.
After the fatalities of the World Central Kitchen personnel in 2024, the then-prime minister, Justin Trudeau, called for an investigation that extended beyond the Israeli military’s scope.
“We require a fully transparent, independent, and swift inquiry into the events that transpired,” he stated during an event in Winnipeg.
Trudeau also firmly disagreed with a comment from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at that time, suggesting that collateral damage is an ordinary aspect of warfare.
“This should not be the case, particularly when aid workers from a remarkable organization like World Central Kitchen are risking their lives daily in a perilous environment to provide food to individuals facing a devastating humanitarian crisis,” Trudeau remarked.
On Wednesday, before Anand’s statement, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East expressed that Prime Minister Mark Carney’s silence regarding the findings could “permit Israel to evade accountability for the murder of a Canadian aid worker without repercussions.”